Underneath
by GhostWhoWrote
Summary: Sakura was raised specifically to complete her mission. Watch over the nine-tails and eliminate him if he becomes a threat. Failure would result in death. Underneath her mask though, was a girl that only wanted to make her father proud, but it was becoming harder and harder to realize the difference between her mission, and her feelings. Soon she is faced with one option...Running.
1. Prolouge - New Beginning

*rewritten on 08/19/19*

Hope you enjoy this. I greatly enjoyed rewriting this to fit my standards, and how i would want to read this story. please leave a review if you'd like.

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"Please Lord Danzo!" A woman cries out, tears evident in her eyes. Dirty blonde hair had been pulled into a loose ponytail, and she was dressed in dark sleep clothes. Sanguine blood drips down her pale arm from where she had previously been struck just moments ago, obscuring the silver metal of the kunai in her grip. Her free hand was pressing into the fresh wound, though it did nothing to stop the flow. Her worst fear was being granted, and her husband already laid dead next to her. It was time to pay the price for the mistakes they had made. It was almost like a cruel joke was being played, the whole situation felt unreal to the woman. Almost like she was watching it i play before her eyes. Like she wasn't the one being tortured. Trust was a fickle thing, and placing it in the hands of the wrong person forced them into this nightmare. The older man standing before them was her nightmare personified, and she only wishes that she could protect what was precious to her. unfortunately, when she placed her trust into the older mans hands, she also had placed her life. He played with them like they were toys, while not laying a single finger on them.

Wincing as she released her arm, the woman widened her stance, bringing the bloody kunai up in hopes of defending herself. All she needed to do was move slightly to the left and grab her baby. Her previous thing. Danzo could not get his filthy hands on her, he would destroy her. He would turn her into another toy for him to play with, to fight his battles and die for him. That little girl deserved more than that, and she wasn't going to let him ruin her.

"You can't take her Danzo! I won't let-" She was cut off by a sword suddenly slicing towards her, with the intent to kill. Quickly bringing her kunai down, she growled out a few curses as she struggled to match the strength of the root agent before her. Unfortunately, her resolve was not enough, and her kunai clattered to the floor as the sword tore through her abdomen. The blonde gurgled a curse, blood soon starting to spill from her mouth. The light in her eyes were slowly ebbing away, her body forcing itself to its knees as the sword was ripped away from her.

"Foolish. You should have just given me what was mine, but instead you chose to pay the price." Danzo spoke softly, his one eye looking down at the cradle that held a baby. Little tufts of pink fuzz donned her head, and the girl was surprisingly quiet despite the commotion. She stared right back up at Danzo, with green eyes that didn't understand yet.

"Take her. Clean this mess up as well. Make sure nobody can identify the bodies." Danzo drawled, as if he hadn't just watched his subordinate murder the couple before him. Turning slowly and tapping his cane twice on the ground, the masked man nodded once before stepping into action.

'Sakura, that will be your name. Rather fitting...yet you will deceive them all'

"Papa!" A tiny 5 year old rushed up to the desk, bounding excitedly as she couldn't wait to tell her papa all about the training she was already receiving.

"Sakura, What have I told you? Call me Lord Danzo." The man scolded, placing the papers he was holding down. A frown settled on his face as he stared down at the small girl before him.

"You must act upon your training at all times, no matter where you are. You know this." Sakura's excitement dropped quickly and she nodded her head just slightly, face already melting into the emotionless mask she was told to keep at all times. Sakura didn't completely understand why yet, nor did she know why she wasn't allowed to play with the other children. Those she interacted with were all emotionless as she was meant to be, yet it felt like she didn't belong.

"Good girl, Sakura. Now run along, and continue to train. You need to be perfect, remember what will happen if you aren't." There was a threat among his words, one Sakura knew all too well. Danzo never hesitated to punish her, even though she was still very young. Young enough that she still didn't completely understand everything she was taught. 'Papa…I will make you proud.' The young girl thought as she turned on her heel, walking out of the room. Her destination was the training grounds. She would work until she was perfect, she would make him proud.

"Danzo-sama ." A small figure spoke, kneeling before the desk. She had been called upon, knowing it was time for her mission to start. She had been trained for this, and she was ready.

"Sakura. You have already completed the first part of your mission, and have successfully created a new identity for yourself. You are now Sakura Haruno, daughter of merchants. You will receive your new genin team tomorrow morning, and I have made sure you will be placed on team seven. This folder contains files on both your teammates, and your sensei. Act accordingly and don't let anyone suspect you. The moment someone catches a whiff of who you really are, is the moment you will eliminate yourself to avoid being revealed. We will not meet again for a while Sakura, you receive any information by letter, that will require your blood to read. If it falls into the wrong hands, it will destroy itself and I will be notified of your failure to be discreet. Remember…You can't fail. To fail is to die, and your mission is your priority." Danzo's authoritative voice rang clearly throughout the small room, and Sakura didn't dare look up at him. When she heard the tapping of his cane, she rose and accepted the file he handed to her.

"Go now. There are instructions to where your new home is. Burn the file as soon as you have all of the information memorized. Pay special attention to the details Sakura." With the final word being said, Sakura nodded and disappeared in a flicker.


	2. Chapter 1 - C Rank

*rewritten on 08/19/19*

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

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Sakura hadn't realized how hard it would be to ignore her root training during Kakashi's test. Sure she had been trained for it, but it was entirely different for her to apply it to a real mission. Appearing useless was rather annoying, though she shoved those feelings down until her mind was clear and emotionless. On the outside however, was a different story. Sakura Haruno was book smart, yet unable to hold her own in a fight. She knew the basics, but was unable to apply them correctly due to lack of strength and speed. The girl wore clothes that were a bit baggy, though nobody knew it was to hide the small amount of muscle the twelve year old carried. The worst part of her persona was her personality. People knew her as a mindless fan-girl of Sasuke Uchiha, regardless of her smarts. She was seen as nothing more than a ninja that would eventually fade into the background and be forgotten. Of course, that was what she already was. Sakura was the ninja in the background. Hidden in the shadows, just waiting to strike. She wasn't meant to be in the front ground. She was meant to hide. This persona was the opposite of who she was, though she found it rather easy to conjure up the fake emotions.

The test itself wasn't difficult. Sakura has gone through training that was much more rigorous and painful than the test their sensei was currently putting them through. However, Sasuke and Naruto probably found it difficult. Of course, Sakura pretended to as well. The hardest part was disregarding every instinct and basic action she had, and it took a bit of concentration not to immediately dispel the simple genjutsu Kakashi had thrown at her. Genjutsu was something that had come easily to her, so it wasn't hard for her to manipulate it to where Sasuke appeared in the genjutsu. Forcing out a scream at the sight of a bloody sasuke, Sakura fell over and slowed her breathing down. Once Kakashi's chakra signature had disappeared, Sakura pulled herself up and brushed her dress off before slowly making her way to where she knew her teammates were. After a completely unnecessary ordeal involving food and rope, they had passed the test.

Thinking back, her performance in the test should have had her held back. What kind of ninja can't even dispel a simple genjutsu? A useless one. One that would most likely die on its first C rank, or wouldn't even make it that long before quitting. Danzō would have killed her, and the rest of her team if they had acted that way during one of his tests. Is this what Konoha ninjas were like? They weren't trained properly it seems, and this is why the village needed Danzō. Why the village needed ninjas like her. Without them, Konoha would fall.

It wasn't long before Sakura fell into a natural routine. Everyday around 5am she would get up and train a bit in her home, just so she didn't get rusty from her little act. Then she would make her way to the bridge for a team meeting and see what D rank missions they would be taking on that day. It was only after catching Tora for the umpteenth time did her routine get ruined.

"I'm tired of these boring missions!" Naruto declared, eyes narrowed at the two shinobi sitting in front of them. His arms were crossed over his cheerfully bright jacket, and Sakura had to force herself to keep her mouth shut from reprimanding him. It wasn't as if her character wouldn't, Sakura Haruno had a loud mouth. She just couldn't bring herself to show her elders disrespect, even if she knew they didn't deserve it. She only needed to respect Danzō. Surely he knew just how important these simple missions were to the village though? Without happy citizens, the village would fail. She wasn't surprised that he found them boring, but the boy lacked respect. That was something that had been taught to her at an early age, and it was confusing how so many lacked it.

"Naruto, you're a genin! You're meant to do D ranked missions!" Iruka tried to explain, but with his raised voice it wasn't hard to see that he was angry. Naruto never failed to piss the teacher off, something Sakura didn't quite understand. It wasn't that hard to ignore the blond, a good ninja knew how to keep their temper in check.

"Well I want a better one! So give me one!" Thus began a long overdrawn, yet overdue talk about the mission system, given by none other than the Third Hokage. Several minutes later, the older man took a short drag from his pipe before realizing Naruto had been paying absolutely no attention. Kakashi was reading his little orange book, and Sasuke seemed to be inspecting one of his kunai. Sakura however, had been listening while discreetly keeping an eye on every move Naruto made.

"Naruto! Listen when Lord Third speaks!" Iruka shouted, his face red as he stood up and slammed his hands on the table. He backed off a bit when said man held his hand up, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. Naruto finally turned to look at them, a bored look on his face.

"Fine." The Third Hokage finally sighed, ignoring the protests coming from Iruka. "I have the perfect mission for you...Come in!" Sakura suddenly got a strong whiff of alcohol, nose scrunching up for just a brief second before she let confusion take over her face at the sight of the newcomer. She could see Sasuke eyeing the old man with distaste, and Naruto just looked excited.

"This is what I get? A bunch of squirts? Hey you! The short one in the middle…Are you even a ninja?" In a quick movement, Kakashi had grabbed onto the back of Naruto's jacket and pulled him back as the younger boy screamed profanities at the old man for a brief moment.

"Meet Tazuna. You will be escorting him to the Land Of The Waves." Cue the man taking a swig of alcohol and giving them a large grin.

Running a hand through her hair, Sakura let herself focus on what was ahead of her as they left the village. Between Naruto and Sasuke's bickering, and Tazuna's snide comments about their ability, Sakura was getting annoyed. She had to put a fake smile on though, occasionally saying something in favor of Sasuke. Kakashi didn't seem bothered by it, his nose in his tiny book. Suddenly though, Sakura's eyes drifted down onto a small puddle that was on the ground. Odd. It hadn't rained in weeks. It was then that Sakura noticed the chakra signature the puddle held. Forcing her eyes away, she remained oblivious, certain that Kakashi had already noticed it.

Moments later Sakura heard the rattling of chains, all three genin whirling around in time to see them wrapping around their sensei. The Jounin's eyes were wide in surprise, and Sakura immediately focused on the two enemy nin. The Demon Brothers. Danzō had made sure she knew any and all missing ninjas that she could possibly come across, whether they were worth anything or not.

"What?!" Naruto shouted, with Sasuke slipping into a battle stance next to him.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura yelled out just before the enemy nin pulled on the chains. Their sensei was crushed right before their eyes, although Sakura could vaguely see some smoke where he had been standing. 'Substitution jutsu.' She thought before stumbling back and crying out at the sight before her.

"K-Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto stumbled over the words, unable to believe what he had just seen. Just as he yelled, he felt an unknown presence behind him, and the sound of maniacal laughter.

"Now it's your turn." One of them chuckled, before they both charged for the young blond. Chains rattling, Naruto froze in fear once he turned around. Watching them get closer and closer to her mission, Sakura forced herself to stay put, having already seen Sasuke moving into action. A shuriken and kunai already in hand, Sasuke expertly threw it and pinned the chain to the tree before landing on the enemy nin's arms. Swiftly acting, Sasuke placed his hands below him and kicked the enemy nin in the jaw, dislocating the chain from their arms as they slid back. The two ninja shook off the pain from the kick, quickly sliding around. One charged for Naruto, the other towards Sakura and Tazuna.

"Stay behind me!" Sakura didn't hesitate to pull a kunai out and position herself in front of the older man, getting herself into an easy fighting position. She knew she could handle them, she was just afraid to give herself away. Suddenly Sasuke appeared in front of her, arms thrown out in order to protect them. A look of confusion flashed over her face, and Sakura didn't understand why he would protect them. Why would you risk your life for someone meaningless? She was replaceable. There wasn't room for attachment on teams.

"Yo." Suddenly Kakashi was standing before them, catching both enemy nin in a chokehold in a matter of seconds. It was then that Naruto looked over to where he had seen Kakashi die, now noticing the small wooden logs on the ground.

"What?! Substitution?!"

After a brief incident where Naruto had stabbed himself in the hand to get rid of poison, they decided to continue on with the mission. Sakura felt it was stupid, putting young genin in harms way like this. Sasuke and Naruto weren't properly trained for a mission like this, and Sakura's current identity certainly wasn't up to par either. Nonetheless, they continued on. It just gave her more reason to believe Konoha was incompetent, and that Danzō was needed.

After a bit more traveling, they reached a boat. Tazuna finally decided to explain the situation, and Sakura absorbed every word. She needed every detail possible, committing it all to memory. Danzō would most likely want a report of what happened, and Sakura couldn't leave a single detail out.

Gato. The name rung a bell, and it took a moment for Sakura to realize why. Danzō had crammed as much information about everything and anything into Sakura the moment she was able to comprehend her surroundings. Gato was a shipping magnate, completely in control of The Land of Waves' shipping routes. Danzō had dealings with the man, or well, a subordinate of Danzō dealt with him. Most likely under the guise of a civilian. Who knew who Gato would hire to take out Tazuna, the man had enough money that anyone could be paid to do a deed such as this. Danzō would want to hear about this, and Sakura couldn't want to write her first actual report to him.

The boat ride felt like it lasted forever, and soon enough they were on land once again. They walked rather slowly through the green forest, and Sakura noticed Sasuke and Naruto seemed to be racing each other almost. At least until Naruto stopped and chucked a kunai into a bush. A few moments of silence passed,

"Just a mouse." Naruto declared, with Tazuna starting to yell shortly afterwards.

"Stop trying to scare me you stupid brat!" Naruto ignored his words as he began looking around again, determined to show up Sasuke. Finally he turned again and hurled another kunai into a bush, with Kakashi moving closer to investigate as Naruto and Tazuna argued.

"Hmm.." There was a small rabbit lying on the ground, a kunai pressed into the bark above it's head. Naruto jumped into action moments later, hugging the rabbit to his chest as he apologized over and over. Meanwhile, Kakashi was thinking over the situation, and Sakura intently stared at the animal. They were both sharing the same thoughts. A snow rabbit, although it's fur was the wrong color. It wasn't winter, and something was off. It was then that Sakura noticed the chakra signature above them.

"Get down!" Everyone dived to the ground as something flew over their heads before slamming into a tree. Sakura peeked up enough to see a long sword, which she immediately recognized as Kubikiribocho. Eyes continuing up, she took in the lean figure of Zabuza Momochi. One of the seven swordsman of the mist. He could kill them easily, she had no doubt. Perhaps she could stand a chance, and Sakura was itching to get her hands on his sword. Danzō would be proud of her then, if she took down a ninja of his caliber.

"Well, well. If it isn't Zabuza Momochi… Rouge ninja from the village Hidden In The Mist." Kakashi's hand darted out as Naruto tried to run past him.

"You're in the way."


	3. Chapter 2 - New Mission

*rewritten on 08/20/19*

Pairings...As things are rather slow, I have a few ideas in mind of how the story will turn out. Let me know which of these sound the best.

ItachixSakura, KisamexSakura, HidanxSakura, ShikamaruxSakura. If there's any others you would like, let me know! The story is still in it's beginning stages obviously, so nothing is certain.

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"Get in manji formation and protect Tazuna. No matter what happened, stay out of this fight. I will handle our enemy." Kakashi's voice was unusually calm, and Sakura watched as the man tugged his headband up to reveal his eye. The sharingan. Sakura couldn't wait to see it in action, having only heard about its power. Even though he didn't gain that power naturally, she knew he was a formidable opponent on the battlefield. She glanced over in time to catch Sasuke's eyes widening and confusion flash over his face.

"How?" Sasuke's comment went unheard, with Naruto looking between the two sharingan user's in confusion. Suddenly, a thin mist started to surround them. It was eerie, and Sakura knew what was going to come next. Hidden Mist Jutsu.

"Enough talking. I just need to exterminate the old man." Zabuza growled, crouching down on his sword that was currently penetrating the tree trunk. The three genin hurried into formation, each pulling out a kunai to defend themselves. Sakura kept her attention on Zabuza however, rather frustrated that she couldn't step in and take him on herself. In a flash, Zabuza flickered out of sight, reappearing on top of the water with his sword on his back. The swordsmen had one arm in the air, both hands almost in a full fist. Sakura could sense the build up of chakra, and readied herself for the fight that was about to begin.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu." The mist got thicker around the ninjas, completely blocking their view of anything. Sakura glanced around in anticipation, trying to sense where he was.

"Eight spots."

Sakura's eyes widened as her mind immediately flew through information she knew well. The 8 vulnerable spots. It was something any ninja should know, as those were important places to strike and protect.

"The Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian veins, kidneys, and the heart…Now which spot should I go for first?" A strong killing intent suddenly washed over the three genin, all three freezing in place. Sakura was able to quickly push it down, though she kept a scared expression in place. Throughout her training, Danzō had put her in many situations where her opponent released a killing intent of varying degrees. It was a necessity to be able to push that fear aside, and even release her own. Hands shaking, though it was due to excitement rather than fear, Sakura braced herself for the upcoming battle.

"Sasuke! Naruto! Sakura! Don't worry, I will protect you with my own life." Kakashi's words were calming, allowing the three genin to relax just a bit and focus more on their surroundings. Sasuke forced himself to focus, the orange ninja next to him doing the same. Not even a second later, the three genin felt a presence appearing directly between them and Tazuna. Kakashi was there a second later, kunai being shoved into Zabuza's abdomen as the three genin threw themselves to the side. Sakura had made sure to grab onto Tazuna in that instance, dragging him down as well.

Water spilled from the wound that Kakashi had inflicted on Zabuza, Sakura's eyes widening in realization. It was a water clone, and the real Zabuza has now appeared behind him. Slashing his sword directly through Kakashi, Zabuza's face lit up in surprise when the man turned into nothing but water. Suddenly a kunai was pressed to the hidden mist ninja's neck.

"Don't move." Zabuza smirked, letting out a small chuckle.

"I'm not a fool." Kakashi sliced his kunai into the neck of the man, who then turned into water. Reappearing behind Kakashi, The swordsmen swung his sword once again, forcing Kakashi to duck. The metal slammed into the ground, it's wielder placing a hand on the handle before using it to balance himself as he kicked out at Kakashi. The jounin brought his hands up to block his foot, but was a moment too late, the force sending him skidding across the water. It took Kakashi only a moment to drag himself up, giving Zabuza enough time to run over to him. The swordsman immediately started flashing through hand signs and within seconds, he was yelling,

"Water Prison Jutsu!" Kakashi cursed under his breath as he had been too slow to move, now unable to escape. Zabuza quickly created a water clone with his free hand, with the intent to end the battle now. The mist hid him once again, and moments later Naruto was crashing to the ground from a forceful kick, headband flying to the ground.

"Naruto!" Sakura found herself shouting, though she knew she shouldn't be worried. Using the distraction to quickly make a clone, she sent the clone off into forest around them without being seen. Just in case it was needed, as Naruto could not die here. He was her mission, and only she would get the chance to eliminate him if necessary.

"Run! You need to get out of here, you are no match for Zabuza!" Kakashi yelled out, voice slightly muffled from the water prison. "He will kill you all!" Sasuke shook his head slightly before he charged for Zabuza, knowing this was the only option they had to free Kakashi. In a matter of seconds Zabuza had his hand wrapped around Sasuke's neck, squeezing tightly before flinging him to the side.

Sakura had to force herself to stay calm, she couldn't reveal herself. She couldn't let them all die either though could she? Her mission was to stay in character, be useless, and keep an eye on Naruto. Who she was at the moment, meant she didn't have the ability to take on Zabuza. Her clone was only to be used in a last ditch effort, if she saw no other way to end the battle before someone died.

Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration as she watched Naruto charging for the missing nin. None of them were a match for the man, but Sakura could only stand there and do nothing. She couldn't reveal herself. As soon as Naruto was within distance, he was barreling back to them. Blood dripping down his chin, he shakily pulled himself to his feet. Tying his headband on once more, he grinned.

"Hey! Put this in your bingo book…I am the man who will one day become the Leaf Village's Hokage. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I never back down!"

It only took a moment for Naruto and Sasuke to come up with a plan, with Sakura deciding to stay back and see how they would handle it. Zabuza's clone was watching from a distance, far enough that he couldn't figure out what they were planning. She was curious to whether or not the two genin could actually take down someone like Zabuza.

"You remember what to do?" Sasuke questioned Naruto with a smirk, turning towards the sphere his sensei was trapped in.

"Of course I do! It was my plan anyways." Naruto grinned before turning away from Sasuke and facing Zabuza. Making a few handsigns, he laughed as several Naruto's popped into existence. They all proceeded to charge at Zabuza, each one being pushed back as easily as they came. As the real Naruto slid backwards, he pulled a windmill shuriken out of his backpack, tossing it to Sasuke.

"Now!" With a nod, Sasuke hurled it at Zabuza, smirking as it sailed through the air. Zabuza laughed as he easily caught it before realizing a second one was coming his way. Making a quick decision, as his clone was too far away, he tugged his arm out of the water prison and jumped away enough for the shuriken to soar past.

"Damn you!" He cursed, bringing the shuriken he now held down onto Kakashi in a last second effort to end the fight there. The jounin easily blocked it with his hand, not even wincing as blood dripped down from the wound.

"Just think, two genin managed to beat you just now, how does that feel Zabuza?" Kakashi quipped, mask moving slightly as though he was smirking. His eyes followed Zabuza's every movement however, showing that he hadn't let his guard down.

"We are ending this now." The swordsmen growled before they both jumped away from each other, hands both following the same patterns.

"Water Style! Water Dragon Jutsu!" They both yelled out at the same time, two water dragons spiraling up between them to compete. Water sprang onto land, easily knocking Tazuna over as they tried to keep their eyes on the fight before them. Underneath it all, Zabuza had his sword pressed against one of Kakashi's kunai. As Kakashi finally shoved the sword back, a senbon came flying out of the trees, landing easily in the side of Zabuza's neck. The ninja's eyes widened in surprise before falling shut as his body fell limp in the water. Kakashi jumped back in surprise, eyes darting up to the masked ninja standing in the trees.

"What?" Sakura whispered, realizing she hadn't been paying enough attention to her surroundings. 'Where did he come from? Is Zabuza dead?'

"I am sorry about that." The masked ninja suddenly appeared, Zabuza's body thrown over his small shoulder. "I have been watching him for days now. I wasn't sure when to intervene. Thank you." The hunter ninja nodded slightly to Kakashi before he flickered away. A hunter nin. Odd..they hadn't destroyed the body. Something wasn't right, and Sakura directed her clone to follow the masked nin and Zabuza.

"Wait! Kakashi-sensei? Who was that?" Naruto pulled himself out of the water, wringing his clothes out as he huffed slightly. The jounin sighed softly as he carefully made his way over to his team.

"A hunter ninja. Nothing to be concerned about Naruto.." He trailed off before slumping to the ground, falling unconscious.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Several days later Kakashi found himself waking up in a small room of an unknown house. Peering slightly from under the blankets, he saw Sakura sitting next to him.

"Kakashi-sensei." She spoke softly, "You're awake…It's been a few days." When Kakashi tried to sit up, Sakura immediantly pushed him back down.

"Sakura-chan, I'm fine." He chuckled weakly, not at all surprised to find that he still had effects from charka exhaustion. Using the sharingan wore him out quickly, as he didn't receive the ability naturally.

"Doctors orders. I have to go check on Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun now, Tazuna's daughter will be in soon to check on you again." Sakura stood up, forcing a smile onto her face. It wasn't hard to make it seem real, and Sakura knew Kakashi wouldn't see through it. Waving goodbye, she shuffled out of the room before dropping her smile for a moment. Danzō had sent a letter to her the other night. She had received new instructions for the mission, ones that went against what her team mission was.

Sakura needed to infiltrate Gato's hideout, and eliminate him. She then needed to pay Zabuza and his apprentice off to work for Danzō instead, although she had no idea what the use of them would be. It made her a bit wary, as they should have no use for missing ninjas, they were meant to be hunted and destroyed. Sakura had no doubt in her abilities though, she was only terrified to get caught. She couldn't fail.


	4. Chapter 3 - Another

*Rewritten on 09/01/19*

This took me a hot minute as i've been a bit sick and busy. Trying to be an adult sucks. It also took a bit longer as I was trying to get it to 2K in order to match the previous chapters. Hopefully i can get chapter 4 updated soon, and get started on the rest of the story!

Sakura knew she had to be careful with this new mission. Kakashi couldn't find out, or her life would be forfeit. It certainly helped that he was basically out of commission however, with the previous fight taking a great toll on him. He was still a highly ranked shinobi however, so she needed to be careful in order to slip past him and complete her mission. It made her grateful of the persona she put out, as it prevented the teacher from looking too closely at her. Sasuke and Naruto were the higher risk students after all, why did he need to focus more on the untalented girl?

As soon as Kakashi was back on his feet, albeit with the help of a crutch, Sakura had already figured out her plan of action. She was itching to get her hands dirty, to prove that the months of pretending to be a useless genin hadn't made her rusty. Focusing back on the task at hand, Sakura glanced over at her teammates before focusing on the tree before her. Kakashi had brought them out to the forest to teach them tree climbing, which was something Sakura had perfected years ago. The exercise and ability wasn't hard, anyone with even the slightest grasp on chakra control could do it. Though it proved to be difficult for her lesser teammates, Sakura allowed herself to fail a few times before reaching the top.

"Well done Sakura." Kakashi gave her a smile using only his eyes, head turned up to where she was perched on a branch.

"Your chakra control is splendid…There isn't much I can teach you while these two are still learning though, so I will have you escort Tazuna to the bridge today. Tomorrow I can show you something else." He didn't wait for a response as he turned to his other two students, already pulling his orange book from his vest. Sakura rolled her eyes before getting down from the tree and heading back to the house. Surely he could teach her something? Unless he was just lazy. As good as a shinobi Kakashi was, he lacked the ability to properly teach. Konoha could definitely use him back in ANBU, and Sakura bet he would have made an amazing root agent for Danzo-sama. Why did he even become a sensei? Although she didn't need help with the basics, surely there was something Sakura could learn from him. If only he was willing to actually go out of his way to teach her.

Heading back to the house, Sakura thought over her plan once more. It would work, she had no doubt. She wouldn't let Danzo-sama down after all, and trusted in her abilities. When she reached the small home, she quietly entered and headed to the room her team had been staying in. Tazuna would soon be heading to the bridge, and Sakura was meant to be his bodyguard. Quickly making a clone, Sakura instructed it to watch over Tazuna and escort him to the bridge. That should do the trick, and she should have her task completed before he was even done with the bridge work for the day. Once that was taken care of, she slipped out through the window before finding a small place in the forest to prepare herself. One that was far away from her team.

Taking a small scroll out of her backpack, she quickly unsealed it to reveal her root uniform. Changing quickly, she finally slipped her mask on. Taking a moment to fall into her unemotional state, Sakura felt free for a brief moment before flickering out of sight.

Reaching Gato's hideout was easy, the man wasn't quite about where he did his dirty work. She had no doubt that infiltrating the place would be even easier. Gato was known to be stingy, and probably had hired the cheapest guards he could find. It wasn't anything she couldn't deal with.

Blending into the shadows, Sakura unsheathed her tanto before moving forward. Her plan was to eliminate every guard she came across, to make sure there was no one to tell the tale of a girl infiltrating the hideout. That would get her in trouble with danzo, who had ears everywhere.

Slipping past the two guards standing watch outside, she took a quick look into the building before she was simultaneously jabbing both guards in the neck with a kunai. Once they were down, she moved the bodies a bit away from the entrance, hiding them from plain sight. Finally slipping into the building, Sakura took a brief moment to take in her surroundings. The place was rather big, but hopefully she wouldn't run into any problems while trying to find Gatos office.

Along the way, Sakura eliminated a few more guards, doing her best to make sure not a single person caught a glimpse of her, and if they did then they were struck down within seconds. Sakura didn't allow herself to enjoy the quick fights, detaching herself from the situation in order to do the mission quickly and efficiently. She could think back on it and enjoy it later. Finally, Sakura reached the door that Gato was behind. There were two guards standing watch, though neither of them seemed to really be paying attention. That's the downside of being a cheap bastard and hiring rouges like these. Thinking over her options, Sakura decided to go the simple route. A henge. Quickly transforming, Sakura changed into a much taller man, wearing something similar to the two guards before her. Stepping out of the shadows, Sakura let her stoic face melt into a small grin. This disguise would serve her well, as it would allow her to hide her true appearance from her mission objective.

"Yo man! You know Gato doesn't like us bathing in.." One of the guards spoke as Sakura got closer, her intention being obvious. Instead of responding, Sakura's hand shot out, the kunai in her grip easily slicing through the vulnerable skin of his neck. The body slumped to the ground with an audible noise, and the other guard slowly backed away from his spot with a kunai now in his hand.

"W-Woah ther-" He was cut off by Sakura rushing forward, swinging the kunai towards his gut. Acting swiftly, the rouge guard blocked the hit, attempting to use his strength to push Sakura back. Moving swiftly, Sakura pulled her kunai back and shifted to the side as the force the other man had put into the block caused him to stumble forward. Sakura shot her free hand out to catch him by the shoulder, stopping him in place as her kunai found a home in the back of his neck. Twisting shortly, Sakura ripped her kunai out and allowed the body to fall. Taking a moment to whipe her bloody kunai off, Sakura thought over what would happen next. Surely those in the room had heard the commotion and would be on edge, so Sakura had to be careful in the next part. The chakra signatures in the room meant it only contained Gato, Zabuza, and the one who had saved Zabuza a few days prior. Sakura's orders were to eliminate Gato and sway whoever he was working with to Danzōs side. Well the second part wasn't necessarily her mission, as Danzō had suggested it if she was given the opportunity. This was the opportunity she needed to prove herself capable of carrying out the missions Danzō might give her.

Deciding that this could only work in her favor, Sakura easily entered the room, hands weapon free.

"Gato. Zabuza." Sakura hummed, tilting her head as she stayed near the doorway. She was still henged as the rouge man, her voice deep. "It's nice to meet you both. Sorry to intrude…" Zabuza's apprentice had drawn a weapon at her arrival, ready for whatever might happen. Gato however, had just assumed the commotion outside was the guards arguing amongst themselves like usual.

"Who are you?!" Gato demanded, standing up from his seat. "Kill her Zabuza."

"That isn't wise. Danzō-sama would be very upset if you went back on your word and killed one of his agents." Sakura said, voice devoid of any emotion. Pulling a kunai out, she tossed it in the air a few times before turning towards Zabuza.

"Danzō-sama has an offer for you. One that you would be wise to accept…But first." Within seconds Sakura had appeared behind Gato, the kunai already pressed into his lower back.

"Danzo-sama had decided that you are useless…and he doesn't appreciate the way you withhold information." Twisting the kunai to cause further pain, she tugged it out shortly after before spinning him around slightly and plunging it into his chest. Rather messy, but it got the job done. Once Gato had slumped dead onto his desk, Sakura turned back to the other two ninja.

"Here. Details of the agreement Danzō-sama would like you to accept, and your first pay. You are to leave the bridge builder alone at the moment…Danzō-sama think's it could be beneficiary if the bridge gets built." Stepping between Sakura and Zabuza, Haku waited for a command as he looked between the two. Sakura made no move to fight as she tossed the scroll to Zabuza.

"All you have to do is sign the scroll, and the agreement will be set in place. We won't meet again…Unless you decide to go against Danzō-sama." With a small wave, Sakura disappeared in a flicker of smoke.

The rest of the original mission went off without a hitch. It hadn't taken long for Tazuna and his workers to finish building the bridge, especially once word got around that Gato had been murdered. Some claimed that Zabuza had gotten fed up with the man, while others claimed that a masked ninja had been seen lurking outside the hideout and had murdered everyone inside. Nothing was ever confirmed though, and life went out. Naruto and Sasuke had finally gotten tree climbing down. Sakura meanwhile, had yet to learn anything else from Kakashi, instead being sent on small errands during the rest of their stay.

A week later they were back in Konoha, being given a week to rest and relax after their mission. Sakura hadn't spoken to her two teammates during that week, instead spending the time to complete a few things for Danzō. He hadn't said it, but Sakura was certain that he was happy with how the mission had went. At least until he scolded her for being careless. Gato's death hadn't been clean enough for his liking, and could have easily been traced back to her had she left a trail.

Sakura was forced to endure a punishment, something she was quite familiar with due to being rather rebellious when she was a child. Claiming sick when Naruto asked to meet up ramen, Sakura took the last few days of their rest to relax after what she endured. Danzō knee better than to leave marks, and instead went a psychological route. It had been proven to be much more effective on her than physical punishments after all, as well as easier to hide the scars. You couldn't see any mental scars she had after all, and Sakura had slipped into a blank state afterwards as she rested.

More D rank missions came after that, and a few training sessions with Kakashi. After a short bit of time, Sakura got word of the chunin exams from Danzō. Team 7 was entered in by Kakashi, and Danzō had a task for her. Word of Orochimaru being near had gotten around, and Danzō wanted Sakura to figure out exactly what was going on. On top of that, Sakura had to make sure Sasuke made it to the second round, and somehow activated his sharingan in the process. This would require more planning and action than the previous mission, and Sakura was determined to not mess this up.


	5. Chapter 4 - The First Exam

*Edited on 09/17/19*

I dont own naruto or anything related to him sadly. I did just get a new wall scrolls of him though...Sorry this took a while. Work is rough! I also was busy replaying the Dragon Age series.

* * *

Before she knew it, they were seated and ready to start the first part of the chunin exams. Sakura was already annoyed by the events that had happened not too long after they had entered the building for the exam. A contestant by the name of Rock Lee had challenged Sasuke and declared his love for Sakura. Love. Seriously? Sakura could hardly believe it, a true ninja didn't go around claiming they loved someone they didn't know. In fact, love was useless to a ninja. It only held them back, and would only end in pain and death. Thankfully the situation ended quickly, though it resulted in Sasuke's pride being hurt badly, and Naruto's taking a hit as well. It had taken up time they could have used to scope out the other contestants before the first exam, though Sakura still let her eyes wander as they headed to their destination.

After that incident, they had met up with the rest of the Konoha genin taking the exam, and Sakura forced herself to bicker with Ino over Sasuke for a moment. Another useless habit the blonde had, that would only get her killed. Love was useless, Sakura would never understand Inos fascination with it. Although she put on a show, Sakura didn't let her guard down. Standing with them was a ninja she had immediately recognized as Kabuto Yakushi. Though she knew he wouldn't recognize her, she wasn't willing to take the chance that he might. He would need to be eliminated somehow, though she wasn't quite sure how. None of the other genin knew who he was, though they all immediately seemed to trust him. It was almost like they forgot they would be competing against each other, and not with. When he pulled out his little cards, Sakura prepared herself to create a distraction if need be. Who knows what her card had on it, though with the way he acted, it seemed like he had no idea who she was. Regardless, Sakura paid close attention to the details on the cards he showed them, especially the one focused on the sand genin.

Now here they were, all scattered throughout a room for a written test. Sakura knew she would pass, the questions were most likely easy for someone like her. It was probably information that had been drilled into her at a young age. Naruto though, would probably struggle the most. Sakura could tell what the exam was meant to accomplish, it wasn't simply just a written test. The exam was meant to assess your information gathering skills, something that Naruto and partly Sasuke lacked. Sakura had no way to help him though, which was a bit frustrating for her. They had to pass the first exam, it was necessary to her mission. Danzō had made certain that she knew what her goal was, and she would not fail.

As soon as they were told to begin Sakura allowed herself to let her emotions fade away and focus on the paper, finding the questions to be rather easy. Although she did make sure to get a few wrong, a perfect score would only bring attention to herself. Having already made note of who was sitting around her, when she felt chakra spike for a moment behind her, she immediately put her head down. This caused Ino to miss her body with the jutsu and instead enter the boy in front of her. Keeping her head down for a moment, she hide her smirk. She wasn't going to give anyone an easy pass with answering the questions. Although it was an information gathering exam, in the field it was going to be much harder than sitting at a desk. Perhaps Ino would learn from this to be more discreet. Sakura knew the Yamanaka's jutsu all too well, with Danzo having a few root agents from their clan. Ino had poor control over it, and with her current attitude that wouldn't change.

After what felt like hours, and honestly it probably was, the proctor of the exam, Ibiki Morino finally stood up.

"Alright. Listen up! It's time for the tenth and final question." Ibiki Morino spoke, voice ringing loud and clear. a quick glance at the faces around her allowed her to see the nervousness on everyone's face and she forced herself to look worried as well. Sakura wasn't scared. The exam was easy so far, and she doubted that the tenth question would be any different.

"But, before I give you the tenth question…There are a few rules that you need to be aware of." The room was silent before the squeaking of a door rang out loudly, and Sakura forced herself to keep her eyes on Ibiki.

"Ah...Made it just in time. Aren't you lucky? I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening. Sit down." The sand genin that had left to the bathroom earlier in the test made his way to his seat rather slowly, the only sound being his footsteps.

"Listen carefully, as these rules are unique to the tenth question. Don't let them frighten you…Rule number one. Each of you are free to choose not to receive the final question, it's your decision." A few confused murmurs broke out before Temari, another sand genin spoke up,

"Woah! What's the catch? What happens if we decide not to take it?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you will get a zero. In other words, you'll fail, along with your other teammates." Everyone protested to that, claiming they would just take the tenth question. Why fail if you can just answer the tenth question? There had to be a catch, and Sakura could only hope her teammates could pull through.

"Wait…You didn't let me finish. If you accept the question and answer it incorrectly, you not only fail…you will be barred from taking the chunin exam ever again!" Kiba stood up in anger, pointing at Ibiki as Akamaru yipped from above his head.

"Hey! That's bull! A lot of people here have taken the chunin exams before!" This caused Ibiki to laugh deeply, a smirk on his face.

"I guess you're just unlucky…I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course if you don't want to take it, you don't have to. You can always try again next year after all." Cue more laughter, with everyone looking around in worry. Do they take it and risk failing? Or just try again next year? Sakura didn't have a choice. They had to move on to the second part of the exam.

"Now then, if you're ready…The tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand and you are free to go." Naruto was torn between taking the question and leaving, not wanting to ruin everything for his teammates but not wanting to fail the question either. Sakura could only watch out of the corner of her eye, hoping he wouldn't mess this up. She knew Sasuke wasn't going to raise his hand, which left it to Naruto.

A few people started raising their hands, spouting out apologizes to their teammates. As more and more people started to give up and leave, Naruto put his head down to think for another moment. Sakura frowned slightly as she saw his hand starting to raise. Naruto wouldn't do that to them, or at least Sakura hoped he wouldn't. Suddenly his hand slammed down onto the table, and Sakura let out a small sigh of relief.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit, and I don't run. You can act tough all you want, but I won't quit. I don't care if I get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life, I will become hokage!" He yelled out before crossing his arms in determination. He wasn't going to back down.

"This decision is one that could change your life, now is your last chance to quit." Ibiki said, face hard.

"No way! I will never quit, that is the way of the ninja." Naruto said with a smirk, with a few others nodding their head in agreement to the boy's words. It seemed to inspire everyone else, with no one wanting to quit now.

"Well then! I admire your determination…For those of you remaining, theres only one thing left for me to do. That is to tell you that you have all passed the first exam." Everyone had been tense as he spoke, but now there was confusion. Where was the tenth question?

"What does that mean? Where's the tenth question?" Ino yelled out, standing up as she slammed her hands down onto the desk. This caused Ibiki to laugh, grinning widely.

"There never was one! Not a written one at least. Your decision to stay was the answer to the question."

"Wait! So what about the other nine questions? Was that just to waste our time?" Temari snapped, not understanding what the point even was.

"Of course not! That was to test your ability at gathering information, without getting caught." Ibiki went on to explain why the test was set up the way it was, and why the questions were difficult. That cheating was the point of the test, and that it was the only way to get the right answers.

"How well you gather intelligence can determine whether a mission is a failure or a success." As Ibiki spoke, he undid his bandana and tugged it off his head. His skull was covered in burns and scars, and Sakura immediately thought about some of the root agents she had seen. Their backs were covered in them, it was how Danzo-sama punished most of the agents. Aside from her. Visible scars could get her caught, and Danzo preferred to go a mental route for her. Failure wasn't an option for her or any of the other agents, and they had been taught not to give out information when captured. She was the only one lacking the seal on her tongue, so it was even more crucial for her.

"Always bear this in mind…Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can cause the death of a comrade or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence, cheat to survive." Ibiki then started talking about the tenth question and exactly why it was put in place.

"Now…Good luck." Naruto started to cheer in happiness, glad that he had made it past the first part of the exam. Suddenly, the window broke, and in front of them stood a tall kunoichi.

"Ready for the second test? I'm Anko Mitarashi! Good! Now follow me!"


	6. Chapter 5 - The Forest of Death

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANYTHING RELATED TO HIM. THANK YOU.**

For the second part of the exam, all the genin were gathered at the entrance to the Forest of Death. It hadn't been a surprise for Sakura, and she took the time to scope out who they might possibly face. She knew that a life or death situation needed to occur, in order for Sasuke to gain his sharingan. Perhaps facing the sand team would help with that?

"This place creeps me out." Ino whined, a look of disgust covering her face as she looked off past the fence.

"It should, and soon you'll find out why." Anko, the second proctor, chuckled.

"Do your worst! You're not gonna scare me away! I can handle anything." Naruto spouted off, doing a tiny dance with it. It was like he was asking to get beat up.

"So…You're a tough guy?" A grin spread across her lips, and in just seconds she had appeared behind Naruto. The boy had a cut on his cheek, from a kunai Anko had thrown in his direction.

"You're not afraid now are you?" She hummed before starting to scoop up a drop of his blood with his finger. Tensing suddenly, she slipped a kunai into her hand and spun slightly, a grass ninja now dangerously close to her. The woman held Anko's discarded kunai with her tongue.

"I was just returning this for you.." The grass woman hummed, somehow being able to talk with her tongue completely out of her mouth.

"Why thank you…" Anko muttered, not breaking eye contact.

"I usually only recommend you to stand behind me if you'd like to die…" Anko spoke, taking the kunai from her.

"My pardon…the blood got me a little excited." With a grin, she backed off and walked away. Sakura kept her eyes on her as she passed, noticing something off about the ninja.

After that creepy incident, Anko started going over the rules and handing out the consent forms. Murmurs went around about the form, most not expecting something like it. Once everything had been explained, Anko decided to offer some advice.

"Don't die. That's all I can really tell you."

* * *

Team 7 quickly met up after that to figure out their plan of action, and fill out their consent forms. It didn't take long before they had their scroll in hand and were standing at their gate. Sakura was quick to express her concern over the whole mission, and complain about how gross the forest was going to be. Naruto had a lot of energy however, and seemed to be almost excited. Sasuke was more cautious, thinking over everything in his head. They needed a plan, and Sasuke felt like he was the best one to come up with it.

"The second part of the test has begun!" Anko yelled out, and then the gates opened and everyone ran in.

The first thing they did was make their way further into the forest, and Sakura kept her senses sharp to make sure they didn't run into anyone without knowing it. They traveled a bit fast, but carefully at the same time. All of a sudden, they heard a high pitched scream, and they all stopped for a moment.

"This is nothing to be scared of…this will be a piece of cake." Naruto exclaimed before sheepishly adding, "Er…Excuse me for a second. I got to..you know." He mumbled before disappearing off into the bushes. Sakura rolled her eyes before settling them on Sasuke and the forest around them. She needed to come up with a plan quickly.

"Oh man, that took a while. I even wrote my whole name!" Naruto grinned as he came back, rubbing the back of his neck. Sakura immediately noticed the change in his chakra signature, but didn't let it show. Sasuke acted on It though, and within seconds Naruto had flown back from the force of Sasuke's fist. He flew back into the tree, rubbing his face in confusion.

"Hey…What are you doing?" He questioned before Sasuke was leaping for him once more. Crying out in pain with every hit, it didn't take long before Naruto started to fight back. A battle of kunai, Sakura watched intently. Pretending not to understand what was going on, Sakura spoke up,

"Sasuke! What are you doing?"

"Take a good look at him Sakura. Where's the real Naruto!?" Sasuke growled, eyes narrowed at the boy in front of him.

"What are you talking about? I am the real Naruto!"

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?" The fake Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, realizing his mistake.

"Your transformation skill is worse than Naruto.." Sasuke said, kunai held up in a battle stance. "Now tell me who you are!" With a poof of smoke, Naruto transformed back into who he really was. A slightly taller boy took his place. Most of his face was covered by a type of gas mask, his hair standing up almost straight. His clothes were tan and covered his whole body in a one piece.

"You found me out…But I'm still going to take your scroll!" The boy grinned before him and Sasuke started their battle. Sasuke leapt back towards a tree limb as the other threw kunai his way, which exploded shortly after hitting the tree. Sakura had gotten herself out of the way, wanting to see what would happen. She was supposed to useless anyways.

"Hand over the scroll and I won't kill you." The boy laughed as he cornered Sasuke, kunai pointing towards his neck. Sasuke only hmphed, smirking as he heard a kunai whipping past him and forcing the other ninja back. Finally joining the party, Naruto jumped down from the tree and landed near them. Sasuke quickly took advantage of the other ninja's surprise, chucking a kunai at him to distract him further, only able to press another kunai into his side at that point.

Once Sasuke was sure the ninja was taken care of, they hurried away from the area before settling down in a small clearing.

"We have to make sure nothing like that happens again. We need a password, and I will only say it once." Sasuke said, eyes flickering between his two teammates.

"Listen closely…The question will be 'When does a ninja strike?' and the response is 'A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lye forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is when a ninja strikes." Sakura nodded her head in confirmation,

"I got it."

"Um…you got one a little shorter?" Naruto frowned, having already forgotten everything Sasuke said.

"No Naruto, memorize it." Sasuke denied, rolling his eyes. Sakura argued for a moment with Naruto about it before they all stood up.

"I will take the scroll." Sasuke said before something whizzed passed them for a brief moment.

"What was that?" Naruto questioned, and everything was silent for a moment.

A harsh gust of wind came at them suddenly, not letting up as they all moved their hands up to cover their faces from the sharp air. When it died down, team 7 had hidden themselves and in their place stood another team.

"Fan out…I will handle this alone." The leader of the team spoke. From where Sakura had hidden herself, she could see that it was the woman from earlier. A cold feeling had settled into the pit of her stomach, and she knew this wasn't going to be easy.


	7. UPDATE

I abandoned this story for almost a year. Since chapter 6 I have dropped out of college (Don't be afraid to do what makes you happy! i was very unhappy and in a bad place before i made the decision.) i am now working a good full time job and spending my money like i'm rich. (i'm not) i have recently traveled a bit to see two k-pop groups live (stan bts and ateez losers)..and now i think i am going to take the time to rewrite the current 6 chapters and develop a plan for this story, as i greatly enjoyed rereading it. in the next few weeks i am going to rewrite to fix a few things people have pointed out/things i saw while reading it. hopefully once i get it all fixed, i will have a better story


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